Applications of Specifications Grading in Computer Science Courses (Abstract Only)

Traditional, points-based grading poses several challenges to computer science educators. Students can lose focus on learning the material and instead focus on the game of trying to accumulate enough partial credit to get to the next grade tier. Faculty can waste large amounts of time obsessing over partial credit point assignment for a particular assignment. It can be difficult to use course grades to connect student performance with learning outcomes for the course and the program. This poster presents an overview of an alternative approach to traditional grading: specifications grading. Specifications grading is a points-free, mastery style of grading that replaces partial credit with quality feedback and revision opportunity. This model provides several advantages over the traditional grading approach. These advantages include better support for high academic standards and rigor, an increased focus for students on learning by removing the intrinsic motivation to earn points, and a stronger connection between student grade assessments and course learning outcomes. The poster will provide an overview of specifications grading and its benefits, along with details of implementation for an Android application development course and an introductory-level programming course. Additionally, the poster will include student evaluation data from previous offerings of the courses.